Webfont Handbook

There’s more to choosing a webfont than aesthetics—rendering, language support, hosting, and licensing are equally crucial to communicating your message. Think of webfonts as progressive enhancement, and learn how to harness CSS and browser features to improve performance. From selection to optimization, Bram Stein’s primer shows you how webfonts can make the web a more visually diverse, efficient, and readable environment.

What Are Briefs?

Briefs are eBook-only guides to essential fundamentals, of-the-moment techniques, or deep nerdery on a single aspect of a topic. Whatever the book, you’re only a quick break away from learning vital, practical know-how.

Over the years, Bram has become a definitive source for making sense of the intricacies of handling type online. This book organizes all of that information to help you avoid egregious pitfalls and consider the right trade-offs given you or your client’s situation.

Allen Tan, Lead product designer at The New York Times

If a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, then a copy of Bram Stein’s Webfont Handbook is a handheld aviary. It is the best, most complete resource for responsibly navigating the tricky world of webfonts.

Zach Leatherman, Web developer at Filament Group

About the Author

Bram Stein is a developer and product manager. He cares a lot about typography and is happiest working at the intersection between design and technology. In his spare time, he maintains Font Face Observer, Type Inspector, and several other tools for improving web typography. Bram writes for several magazines and is a contributing author to Smashing Book 5. He also speaks about typography and web performance at conferences around the world.